Users search for image files or video stream files with certain characteristics on file systems, databases or networks, such as the Internet. Searches are performed in order to locate files related to a particular subject matter or topic. Internet-users base searches for graphic files on textual hints, such as the name of the file, ALT-tag, and/or an association with a web page having characteristics that match the search criteria. Internet-users can also base a search on a particular encoding scheme, such as MP3, in order to locate files that are encoded in a scheme that is compatible with software tools of the user or to locate files that meet a threshold of quality.
Users may also desire to search for graphic files by other criteria, seeking, for instance, natural images that have been digitized or scanned, computer generated images that have been rendered or ray-traced, scientific slide presentations, or comic images. However, because files are not readily identifiable as having those characteristics, the search is accomplished by locating the file, loading and displaying the file in a graphical display tool, and then manually viewing the file to determine if the file has these characteristics. This is a slow and expensive manual classification process.
Furthermore, the characteristics of image files or video stream files have an influence on, dictate, or direct, how a video stream or image is stored, retrieved and/or processed. These characteristics are important because actions can be taken to optimize the speed or storage capacity in storing, retrieving, and/or processing the graphic files. However, these characteristics of the file are not readily discernable. Media portals, such as yahoo.com, use automated tools to store, index, retrieve and process graphic files. When automated tools store, retrieve and process the graphic files, the inability to readily distinguish between files based on the file characteristics of digitized or scanned, computer generated from rendering or ray-tracing, scientific slide presentation, or comic, leaves the tools incapable of optimizing the storing, retrieving and processing of the graphic file.
There is a need in media portals to be able to classify graphic files in terms of whether they are natural images that have been digitized or scanned, artificial computer generated images that have been rendered or ray-traced, scientific slide presentations, or comic images, without manual classification.
For the reasons stated above, and for other reasons stated below which will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the present specification, there is a need in the art for the ability to distinguish between natural images and artificial images and to distinguish between slide images and comic images.